Longbows and Letters
by ThunderMane
Summary: Karina swore to never talk to Bard again, especially after he humiliated her in public. But when she gets a surprising letter attached to an arrow, she finds herself giving him a second chance. At first she doesn't trust the trouble rousing teen, but with every letter and arrow he gives her after their small adventures; Karina slowly begins to fall for him (Rated T for safety).
1. Chapter 1

**Yes I did delete my other story. One because I saw that I made many mistakes, plus I was getting shitty messages from people who were telling me that I don't know anything about The Hobbit or Bard. Maybe I don't know everything about the character or the story, but I must let you know that I just found out about the Hobbit in 2012 and just read the book like a year ago, so please bare with me... because I'm trying REALLY hard to go with the storyline and not make up stuff. But you people must understand that I must make up a storyline too, because if I copy every single thing in the story; then I'm breaking the law and I don't want to get in trouble from it. So if you're going to bitch and complain, PLEASE leave me alone... because I'm not having any shit anymore. Plus I don't know if Bard was as rebellious as the one I'm writing, but I imagined him that way and I'm going to keep it that way. **

**I don't own the Hobbit and it's characters. But I do own Karina, her mother, friends, and other relatives. **

**BTW Karina will be alive when the Dwarves and Bilbo come to Laketown. **

**Please enjoy. **

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**Chapter One**

It was an unfamiliar thing, for Bard to fall in love with someone so quickly. Some would think it was quiet odd how a young teenage lad, much like Bard, to be slapped silly by a girl who went by the name of Karina. Usually it was Bard who started the fights and ended them quickly, but to be humiliated in front of his friends would have made things much worse... but it didn't. The moment when he saw her walk away in an angry fashion, cussing him out in the most vulgar language that even the people of Laketown didn't know; he knew she was the one. Of course he knew he couldn't jump into conclusions and immediately think she would forgive him for what he did... (which he was very embarrassed about) but he could at least try and make acquaintances with her... he just never thought it would be this difficult.

"You are absolutely crazy, you know that right?" Adalwin said, as he and Bard walked through the busy walkways of Laketown. His voice was concerned, he always was. When they first became friends, they thought it wasn't going to last since they both had opposite behaviors. But now it has been 12 years, and they were both 18 and 17; they were inseparable. Bard gave a small snort of laughter and picked up a lost stone, twirling the smooth texture between his fingers.

"How many times have you said that?" Bard asked, his voice full of mischief and entertainment. Giving his friend a light laugh, Adalwin's large fishermen hand clasped over Bard's masculine shoulders and gave him a shake.

"I mean... she slapped you _hard. _You still have a bruise from where she got you." Adalwin said, his green eyes flickering up to see the handprint that covered half of Bard's face. He was right about that, and that bloody thing hurt so damn much; he didn't even know a woman could hit that hard. But that still didn't change one thing... at all.

"You're still going to see her, huh?" Adalwin said, his voice low and somehow annoyed. With a quick motion, Bard's hand flicked out and the stone went flying into the murky water; the soft _plop _of the rock landing answered Adalwin's question.

"I'm not going to be surprised if she kills you... she was pretty mad at you." Adalwin said, and Bard's eyes rolled at his friends constant talking.

"I'll be fine... she wouldn't dare. I mean, who would kill this pretty face?" Bard asked, his brown eyes twinkling with humor. His friend gave a light chuckle and shook his head.

"You're so arrogant... no wonder she doesn't like you." Adalwin said, and the two went into a small playful brawl.

Her house was in full view, peering towards Bard's tall form. He was pretty brave back there, but now that he was all alone without Adalwin behind him; he had to face a very angry woman by himself. Giving a sigh, he puffed his chest out and straightened his back. With long strides towards the door, he raised his fist up to knock on the hard wood. But before his hand landed on the texture, he immediately coward back. Why was he so nervous? It was just a girl who slapped him silly... well a girl he was starting to like... and was actually imagining himself marrying her... but the fact that he was going to stare into those icy blue eyes was as nerve wracking as the day his dad first taught him how to use a longbow. But as the wise words of his mother rung through his head: _"Being brave means you have to talk to one girl... at least ONE." _And this was the girl he was going to talk to...

Finally his fist raised up once again and landed heavily on the door. The echo seemed to have wrung forever in his head, and his heart felt like it was about to jump right out of his chest. At first there was silence, then he could hear the footsteps of someone coming up. The door opened, revealing an older woman with graying blonde hair... and the same color of eyes as her daughter.

"U-Um... Lady Agard..." Bard found himself stuttering like a fool in front of her. Karina's mother, or Audhild as some call her, stared at him with a look that could shake even the strongest Laketown guard. Though it was the eyes that most people noticed, it was also the scars that crisscrossed on the side of her face. One would say that a beast attacked her; but rumors stated that she was an Assassin, assigned to protect Laketown from the creatures that lurked in the shadows of any forest around them. She quit though when she got pregnant with another Assassin's child, and has never done it since. Of course rumors were rumors, and Bard wouldn't be surprised if it actually happened.

"Yes?" she asked, her words short but sharp like ice shards, cutting through his thoughts. He could feel his very core shaking under her stare, and he was half tempted to just turn around and run away. But his feet seemed to have been weighed down to the creaky porch, and his heart beat echoed like drums in his ears.

"M-May I s-speak to Kari-Karina?" he asked, feeling like a complete idiot in front of her. Arching a dark eyebrow, Audhild looked at him for a mere few seconds before tilting her head back slightly and yelling, "Karina!"

Silence was very much heavy between the two, and Karina's beautiful form came into view as she walked to the front door.

"Yes Mama?" she asked, her voice like bells in a midsummer's eve.

"There is a young man here to see you." Audhild said, then turning her back towards Bard and walking away with much fluent grace... just like the way Karina walks. When the younger woman finally arrived at the door, her soft blue eyes turned as hard as her mothers when they landed on the young teenage boy.

"What do you want?" she asked, her words harsh and dripping with poison. Bard could only stare at her though, mesmerized by the power in which she held in that small frail body. One wouldn't believe how much impact she had in those hands until they saw what they could do to a man's face.

"I-I was wondering if-"

"If I could forgive you? Ha! You must be foolish to think such a thing." Karina said, her shoulder leaning against the door frame. Bard stared at her, completely surprised at how fast she could finish ones sentence.

"Look, I know what I did was a horrible thing, and I wasn't thinking straight when I did that... But I would imagine that maybe... that maybe-" he was then cut off again when Karina took one step towards him, her face just inches away from his.

"Every man says that... have you noticed? _I wasn't thinking straight when I did that... _That excuse will not cut it, Bard. You think that will make up for what you did? Grabbing my breasts like that in public? You think you can casually walk in here and put a charm on your face, and I would just immediately forgive you. I have seen more charm on a fish then I have seen on you, now will you excuse me; I would like to go back inside and never see your face again." Karina said, each word cutting into Bard like the sharp arrows he has stashed underneath his bed.

"But Kar-"

"Unless you want another handprint on the other side of your face, I'd suggest you go... _NOW._" She said, her icy eyes piercing right into Bard's soul. Without a moments hesitation, he turned around and began to run away... fast.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hopefully ya'll like the first chapter. I hope it gave you a small look in how they first met. So yeah... BTW I am making up his father and mothers name, because I have NOOOO clue what their real names are, so please bear with me.**

**I don't own the Hobbit characters. **

**But I do own Karina, her mother, friends, and other relatives. **

**Please enjoy!**

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**Chapter Two**

"Bard!" His mother snapped, her eyes widened and her mouth was in the small shape of an _'o'. _Bard looked down nervously at his feet as his mother stood in front of him with a look of utter shame on her face. The moment he walked into the house, his parents automatically asked how he got the giant hand print on his face. How was he supposed to lie about that? If he were to lie, he knew he couldn't hide it from his parents. It was a weird thing, how a mother and father can tell when their child is lying right in front of them.

"And why did you do that, son?" his father said, folding his strong arms across his chest. It was even worse with his father, Bailwin, staring at him with those hard brown eyes. Often people would tell Bard that he would be scary looking like his father, but he didn't want to put the fear into his child's heart like his father does with his. How was he going to explain WHY he did it?

"I uh..." he slowly drawled out, unsure of how to find the right words. "I was dared by one of my friends..." Bard said, cringing slightly from his father and mothers hard stares.

"Was it Adalwin?" Bailwin said, his dark heavy eyebrows drawn together. Bard immediately shot his head up.

"No!" he exclaimed, then mumbled a soft _'sorry' _when his father cocked his head to the side, daring him to talk to him like that again.

"It, It was..." he tried so hard to think of someone he often hung out with... which was no one else besides Adalwin, but who else would follow the two around? Then an idea came to his mind... someone that everyone who could NOT stand... someone who wouldn't leave Bard and Adalwin alone.

"Alfrid! It was Alfrid!" Bard said, his words coming out faster than he expected. Both his mother and Bailwin looked at him, eyebrows arched up in surprise.

"Alfrid is your friend?" his mother asked, his father grumbling shortly after her.

"Well... he follows me and Adalwin all the time."

"And you listened to him?"

_Dammit... _thought Bard. Of course his father would always cut off his brilliant plan. Struggling to think up an excuse, his mother cut him off by putting up her hand.

"Did you apologize? That's the main thing." She asked, and Bard could feel his stomach drop down to his stomach.

"I tried, she wouldn't listen to me." Bard said, and that was the truth. Everytime he tried to speak, which was about... twice; she would cut him off with words as sharp as a knife.

"I don't think you tried hard enough." His mother said. Bard's eyes widened and he took a step back. Was his mother absolutely crazy?!

"Are you saying I should try again?"

"I think you should. What you did to her should not be apologized for once, but plenty more times. Who knows, maybe she'll start liking you." His mother said, an amusing smirk on her lips. She was enjoying this, seeing her son squirm right under her eyes like a little child again. A deep blush rushed over Bard's young cheeks, and he gave a small mumble of jumbled words.

"Now what I want you to do, is march over there and apologize again. If you fail to do that, then I'm locking you in your room for 2 days." His mother threatened, and he could see she meant it. For as long as Bard could remember, his mother was the most proper person in Laketown (compared to Karina's mother) and if no one didn't do at least one generous thing, she'll make sure that they did it. So when his mother told him he needed to apologize, then he needed to do it... and FAST.

"But Mother, you don't understand!" he found himself hesitating, cowering away like a lost pup. As his mothers eyes rested on his, he could feel his father's angry eyes boring at the side of his head.

"I tried, I really did. But she would not give me a minute to explain. She hates me, she absolutely hates me! And if I talk to her, she'll kill me!" Bard pleaded, and he was utterly embarrassed at how ridiculous he sounds.

"I don't know about her killing you as much as her mother." mumbled Baiwin, and he received a rather hard hit to the chest from his wife. Bard could feel the fear building up inside him.

"Do you like her, son?" His mother asked. How did his mom know that?

"No, of course not." he said, trying to hide the most obvious look on his face.

"Did you just recently start liking her?" she asked, her words serious. Bard gave a sigh, and rolled his eyes in the most childish way.

"Because if you did, then you damn well make her like you back. You don't find other young women like her. She may hate you and wish to rip your guts out, but you will try and try and try a thousand times if it takes, to make her like you." his mother said, and not only did Bard stare at her with an open mouth; but his father did the same thing.

"Now if you don't want to talk to her, write her a letter." she said, and immediately... Bard got an idea.

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A small leather pouch was slung across her shoulders, full of vegetables and two large trout. Money was scarce in the small town, ever since the Dragon attacked Dale many decades ago, Laketown could even barely make enough money for the families that lived in it. Often Audhild told Karina that she needed a job, but with the past that her mother has been through; Karina wanted to stay with her and make sure she was okay. Besides... she didn't want to work anywhere close to that scoundrel, Bard. Finally reaching her door, she was about to turn the doorknob when an arrow whizzed through the air and smacked right next to her head. Giving a large scream, she fell backwards and right on her behind. The bow was long, pitch black, and it went halfway through her poor old door. Looking up the direction it came from, she saw a black silhouette leap down a roof; and that was the last time she saw it. When her eyes cascaded back to the arrow, she saw that there was a letter attached to it, and she couldn't help but wonder who it was from. Finally picking herself up, she ripped the ribbon that attached the letter to the black body of the arrow, and unfolded it to see who it was from.

_Dear Karina, _

_I'm probably the last person you want a letter from, and you're probably madder than bloody hell at me for doing this to you. But I'm afraid that if I come to your door again, you'd probably decapitate me right on the spot. So I thought I would give you a letter instead. _

_I'm sorry that I humiliated you in front of everyone, I thought I was being funny and thought you wouldn't do anything. But boy was I wrong! So to make up for it, if you're up for the challenge, I thought you would like to come with me on a small hunt through the forest. And don't act like you don't know how to shoot a longbow, because I've seen you carry it before. _

_See you tomorrow morning. _

_-Bard_

Karina couldn't believe it. Not only does he grab her breasts, but he knows she shoots a longbow. She was starting to think that he was as creepy as Alfrid... well... almost. But she couldn't help but smile lightly at the messily written words that appeared to have been rushed. How badly she wanted to resist, to only shoot Bard instead of a deer or bird; but the thought of escaping the house for awhile seemed... alright. With a final pull of the arrow, she managed to yank it out and opened her door.

"What the hell was that?" Her mother called from the kitchen, obviously getting things ready for the meal. But instead of replying to her question, Karina asked.

"Hey Mama, where is your longbow?"


End file.
